Ramsgate to Shotley Marina, Harwich - 17th May

1.5 Ramsgate to Harwich – 17^th May

With keen crew, Ian Sumnall on board it was an early rise and departure at 0730 from Ramsgate.  I called harbour control after leaving the berth and headed out to sea after crossing the entrance channel.  North Foreland light house was visible on the shore.  North Foreland marks then end and start of two weather forecast areas North Foreland to Selsey Bill and Gibraltar Point to North Foreland. 

The Thames Estuary is an interesting place to sail, lots of sand banks, shipping and wind farms!

I had planned a number of options for this trip, outside everything, through a route in the sandbanks called Fisherman’s Gat or through a gap in the sandbank and the London Array Windfarm called Foulers Gat.  The weather was calm and with Ian on board it seemed like an opportunity to try the more challenging and interesting route through the London Aaray. 

 
The turbine’s  are so large they mess with your perspective of things.  Event seven miles away they looked closer and a ship at anchor in front of the array blocked sight of the fairway buoy that marked the entrance through the turbines.

Eventually when about ½ mile from the turbines it was possible to spot the entrance marked by a single red and white fairway buoy.  It is not altogether obvious what route to follow until you are actually in the first row of turbines.  There is also limited information on the current paper and electronic charts so I had done quite a bit of internet research before setting sail which included the latitude and longitude of some of the key turbines which marked the boundary of our route through. 

 

 

 

They really are huge and a great spectacle up close particularly when all the turbine’s line up in long rows with their blades slowly turning.

Eventually after about half an hour we made our way through the array and entered Deep Black and north east, south west running channel.  Towards the end of Deep Black the wind finally began to fill in in and the day was ended with a great sail in towards Harwich via the shallow Medusa channel before taking down the sails and motoring up the recommended yacht channel towards Shotley Marina. 

The cranes and ships moored in Felixtow make an impressive site as you enter the Orwell

After negotiating the lock we arrived safely in Shotley Marina at 1610, a journey of nearly 9 hours covering 35 miles.    Very kindly a very helpful lock keeper put as in a easily negotiated berth.  He seemed to know the idiosyncrasies of Tradewinds!

It was great having Ian along for this part of the journey as he had spent some of his school years in the area and in fact his father had been involved in training new naval recruits at HMS Ganges just up the hill behind the marina.  Those of an age who watched Blue Peter the children’s programme may remember John Noakes climbing the mast in the middle of the parade ground.

After finding the onsite restaurant closed on a Tuesday evening and the Bristol Arms also shut we decided to take a bus into Shotley Gate to the Rose Pub for supper.  This proved to be an excellent trip down memory lane for Ian as the bar man had grown up in the area and new many of the people Ian knew at school and in the area. 

It was a rather long walk back to the marina so we decided it was a better bet to order and eat our meals rather quickly to allow us to catch the last bus back!    

Dover to Ramsgate - 15th May

Departed at 0630 from Granville dock with the help of the harbour master to guide the boat out as the wind was from a difficult direction and tradewind boats do not go backwards like their modern counterparts.

Called up Dover Port Control to exit the marina and enter the harbour.  I wanted to exit by the East entrance and was given permission to transit inside the sea wall the knuckle light house and report in again.  At 0645 as no shipping was inbound or outbound I exited quickly and headed to the north.  There was quite a swell outside the harbour but great views of the white cliffs of Dover.  At 0730 Dover disappeared behind the white cliffs. 

As the weather was calm I had decided to go inside the Goodwin sands, the graveyard of many ships, I passed the towns on the coast of Kent such as Deal and Sandwich before approaching Ramsgate.  The sea was very uncomfortable on the approach as I slowly made my way up the channel towards the entrance.

Just outside I called Ramsgate Harbour Control for permission to enter which was granted.  Once inside I called the marina for a berth and berthed on F21. 

It was good to see a very smart tradewind 35 Call Me Ishmael with he new owner Mark who had only recently purchased he.  He was heading for the Solent.  After a brief chat he set off for Dover and places West. 

I took rather a liking to Ramsgate, although one of the many historic seaside towns it retains some of its charm with a row of arches lining the seafront below the town.  A lovely beach extends to the north of the town towards Broadstairs   Captain loved his walk along the beach and playing with his new found doggy friends.

16^th May

Ian Sumnall a former work colleague joined me for a week’s sailing.  Once settled in Ian and I walked Captain along the beach to a café for a cup of tea before returning though the shoreline park to Ramsgate. 

Eastbourne to Dover - 12th May

Up at 0530 to walk Captain.  There were already a number of dog walkers up and about as we walked down to the coast to check the visibility.  It looked much clearer than yesterday’s pea soup!

At 0630 we locked out through the north of the two large locks that straddle the entrance to Royal Sovereign harbour.

The dredger and its crew were still slumbering on the south bank and we passed them to starboard.  This time I could see the fairway buoy and after we passed it at 0645 we headed of in a south easterly direction along the coast.  At 0810 we were off Bexhill and by 0900 we were passing south of Hastings.  By 1000 we were passing Rye.

At 1030 I spotted the boarder control vessel ahead and the large blocks of grey in the haze which turned out to be Dungerness Power Station.  At non we passed Dungerness point and saw dolphins.  I hope they won’t be the last.

After passing Dungerness the sea began to kick up and the boarder force vessel made its way to see me.  Seeker came up astern and called me up on channel 16 and asked where I had come from, where I was going and my home port. He asked me how many persons on board, I replied one man and his dog.  He asked “both British?”  I said the dog is a pedigree but I am not sure about my ancestry.    We laughed and both went on our way.

After bashing to windward for a further nearly ywo hours of bashing to windward in increasing winds and seas we arrived at the entrance to Dover.  At two miles off I called Port Control and then again when I was 200 yards off.

As I approached I could see the forecast force 6 approaching on the water and the grey clouds with a line of white horses in the water.

The tide was ripping passed the entrance and it was an interesting few minutes fighting the tide to get into the calmer waters of Dover harbour, but the calm did not last for long.

The wind increased to 26 knots inside the harbour which made attaching lines and fenders a bit of a challenge as the bow of the boat kept being blown off its course.  I called up the basin and got Granville Lock on pontoon E30 at 1615.

After tidying up I opened a bottle of red wine and relaxed for a while before cooking supper. 

The next few days were spent relaxing and exploring Dover waiting for the next weather window.  It was fascinating to see the number of people swimming in the sea, obviously motivated by the cross channel swimming from the port to France.

The other thing that struck me was the none stop traffic, particularly lorries flowing through the town.  It must be difficult to police the boarders with absolute confidence.

The other stand out feature of the sea font was the number of war time memorials to various hero’s and vessels. 

Portsmouth to Brighton - 9th May

Nelson said harbours rot boats and men and it certainly felt like that to me.  I had been faffing around avoiding going sailing both for valid reasons explained above but also due to my own anxiety.  At the start of every sailing season there is always a degree of nervousness and a degree of relearning what you have forgotten over the winter but this year perhaps daunted by the size of the sailing adventure ahead of me. 

So, it was in with both feet that I awoke at 0500 on Monday 9^th May.  I walked Captain (the dog who would be accompanying me) along the pontoon and back several times the levels of anxiety rising.  There were a number of jobs still to do, insert the log which tells you the boat speed through the water, take the sail cover off, attach the main halyard, turn on the instruments and sort the mooring lines out.

As I was departing I notices an old Hillyard, wooden boat built in Littlehampton passed me. In the gloom as I prepare the boat.

But by 0538 I was ready to depart and undertake my first sail of the year!  The wind was from the east, just the direction I wanted to travel.  Unfortunately boats cannot sail directly into the wind.  You have to tack, or zig zag a boat upwind. 

I left Portsmouth harbour for a while and took a route through the dolphins, a three legged structure that marked a gap in the old wartime submarine barrier protecting Portsmouth.  It was low water and spring tides meaning there are higher high tides and lower low tides and to my concern there was very little water under the keel.  I had sailed this route many times when I used to keep Poldeaux in Portsmouth harbour and never notices so little water!     I gradually edged seaward and slowing the depth increased.  I could see the boat that passed me out to sea also eading east.

 

The wind was also stronger than I had hopped being a good force 5 and sometimes force 6 and it was getting lumpy too.  This did not please Captain as this was his first sail since October last year.  It took him a long time to settle in his bed.

 

Eventually Boulder and Street buoys appeared that mark a narrow channel south of Selsey Bill, but avoids going further south to avoid the shallow water.  The best time to go through the Looe channel is slack water when the tide is on the turn, as the water is smooth, but I was late, partly because I did not wish to get up at some ungodly hour and also the boat jobs that needed doing before departure. Consequently there were standing waves where the tide now running fast over the shallows build uo into a rough patch of sea which throws the boat and its occupants about.  Not pleasant.

 

As I passed through the channel and said good bye to Portsmouth and the Spinnaker Town in the grey stormy doom.  That is the last time I will see that patch of sea for a while.

 

As I mentioned before I departed I was feeling distinctly nervous but when I thought about it now they had gone. 

 

I could see the white roof of Butlins and the other well known sights and landmarks of my home town Bognor Regis, it was 0930.   Bognor passed to be replaced by Littlehampton, my place of work for 35 years, it was 1045 and I thought of my former colleagues sitting at their desks on a Monday morning!

 

Then came Rustington,, Worthing, Shoreham and eventually the outline of Brighton appeared.

 

A number of south coast ports have been badly effected this winter by the winter storms which has caused entrances to silt up.  Brighton was one of these, but I would be arriving at around high water so this was not an issue for me.

 

Mooring was rather rushed as it is years since I have been to Brighton and as it was my first mooring of the year I was very rusty.

 

Luckily a member of staff was on hand to take my lines along with a gentleman who later advised me he did  sailed round the UK back in 2014 in his Sadler 26.  He was waiting for the engineer to visit to fix his engine.   I had arrived at my first destination, 48 miles completed and it was 1405 a voyage of 8 hours 23 minutes. 

Brighton to Eastbourne - 11th May 2016

An interesting day.  It had been raining all night and I woke at 0500.  A check of the forecast showed variable force 3 or less, and a smooth sea state, but the visibility was forecast to be moderate to poor with fog patches.  However, the preceding day had brightened up at about 1100 and I have radar to identify vessels and AIS (Automatic Identification System) which shows another vessels course and speed and I also transmit my position and speed using the same equipment so they know where I am.

After getting dressed in full foulies, walking Captain I was ready to go.  I followed two boats from the Netherlands, Amsterdam out the harbour into the murk.  Both were constructed of aluminium and about 55ft long and both were crewed by a husband a wife.  The Dutch certainly know how to sail!

It was a “real pee souper” with visibility 100 meters or less, grey and dank with light rain. The plan was to push against the tide to Beachy Head and then carry the floor tide up the English Channel all the way to Dover, about 65 miles. 

I soon discovered that my AIS was not picking up other vessels until they were almost upon me.  But, I thought many a person sailed quite safely with just radar in the days before AIS   I found sitting on the cockpit coaming I could see ahead and watch the data screen.  The radar was working well and picked up a ship anchored off Newhaven and the pilot boat coming to meet it.  So you asking yourself how did he know that?  I had got my I phone and I pad out which have AIS apps on them and could see what was happening. 

Time for a mini celebration and crossing the Greenwich Meridian and passing into the eastern hemisphere. 

I was passed Beachy Head, heading for the Royal Sovereign Light House and the tide was just turning and I was picking up speed when the radar decided to tell me the autopilot was not working.  Why now?  It had behaved perfectly for three hours and now despite turning the radar on and off several times and disengaging the autopilot.  No joy.

Decision time, do I press on stubbornly and hope the visibility improved or cut short my passage plan and head for Eastbourne about five miles north?

Up ahead was a narrowing English Channel and the likelihood of more traffic as I approached Dover. Plus I’d have to say very alert for another 9 hours.  I also had the words of a fellow yachtsman who I met in Brighton who sailed round the UK in 2014 ringing in my ears.  “I don’t go out in bad visibility” Mind you he did not have radar.

Or do I head into Eastbourne.  As someone who has done a lot of ocean sailing I always feel more comfortable when I can’t see land as there is less to bump into.  Many coast sailors prefer to keep land in sight.  So closing on the land was a little bit of a concern.  I also was aware the entrance to Eastbourne was currently being dredged, there was a dredger moored in the entrance and the buoys had been removed.  I was also away I would not be able to gain access until at least two hours after low water do to the slitting up. Neither had I ever been to Eastbourne before so it was all new. 

I am also aware that incidents at sea often occur when one or more thing goes wrong.  No AIS, no radar, and exceedingly poor visibility.  I was basically blind!

In my mind, reluctantly, the more seamanship decision was to head for Eastbourne 

I called the lockkeeper on Channel 17 to advise him of my situation and could he ward any exiting boats that there was a boat heading towards the fairway buoy off Eastbourne. 

I slowly motored in towards Eastbourne keeping an eye on my I-pad.  I eventually found the fairway buoy when I was about 50 meters from it!   I advised the lock keeper of my arrival and listed to other yachts trying to leave being advised of the limited depth of water. 

I gently motored round for about an hour and tried a reconnaissance trip towards the entrance but couldn’t see a thing despite being only 100 meters of so from the breakwater.      

Eventually at 1130 I called again and said I would attempt an entrance.  As I gingerly felt my way in a fishing boat called Sandella came out of the fog and shouted follow me.  As many a yachts man will know this can be fraught with danger if the vessel in front has a shallower draft. He obviously had the best of intentions so I agreed.  Initially I wished I had not as he weaved in to the shore and out again.  There is a wreck near the entrance and I certainly didn’t want to hit that.  I was keeping a very close eye on my track and on balance he seemed to be taking a safe route so I pressed on.

Finally some grey shapes appeared from the fog and I could see the shoreline and then dredger.  No sign of the leading lights that are supposed to guide you in, but eventually the locks appeared.

I tied up in the lock and went and thanked the fishermen.  Unfortunately it had been a bad day for fishing.  He mentioned he had hit the wreck several times in the past!

Lessons learnt and thoughts.

Mixed emotions.  Although I have been caught out in fog in the Solent I have never undertaken a long passage in such thick fog.  The events gave me confidence that should I be fog bound again I could handle it but slightly disappointed at not reaching my planned destination.

I had planned to spend the month before setting off testing everything worked, but storm Katie and other home events put pay to that so when I set off from Portsmouth that was my fist sail of the year!  Test things work before you start.

In hindsight I could have anchored while waiting to enter.  Or I could have anchored off Eastbourne and waiting to see if the visibility improved.  However I would not have been confident of fixing the AIS or radar out at sea for the danger of causing another problem.  In reality the visibility did not improve until the middle of the afternoon.  

On balance I feel I made the right choice and enjoyed an evening stroll down to the beach.  The visibility out to sea was still poor.

Preparations for sea

After a winter working on the boat what could go wrong?  Over the winter I had been down to the boat often fitting new equipment and generally getting things ready.

I had fitted Hydrovane wind vane steering to reduce the power requirements on long passages, fitted a Hampshire heater charcoal burning stove to keep warm if needs be.  Covered the main bulk head with teak.  Towards the end of the last sailing season I had fitted a radar to improve safety in poor visibility and if needs be to act as a navigation aid should all else fail.  I purchased and fitted a life raft and EPIRM (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon), purchased new life jackets etc.  Fixed the mast head tri colour and anchor light together with the wind instrument.

It’s a funny thing with boats, however much you plan, make lists etc you never seem to have enough time to complete all the jobs before setting sail and there seem to always be things to do after setting off.  The only I was aware of that was not done was a new bulb in the deck light so I was feeling pretty good about things.  I had even stocked up with supplies for the trip to minimise the need to go ashore for large and heavy items liked tinned food.

The boat was launched at the beginning of April and I put the sails and the plan was to spend most of April enjoying some relaxing sailing around the Solent testing everything before setting off.

However, I had not counted on the mischievous Storm Katie which struck southern England in early April! I got a phone call early one morning from Scott Waddington the owner of Wicor Marine Yacht Haven to tell me my head sail had been damaged in the storm.

I went down to the boat, the wind was still blowing hard and it was obvious the damage was severe.  There was also damage to the toe rail (the bit of wood that runs along the boat.  In addition several mooring lines had been snapped or worn through.  It had obviously been a very rough night.

As soon as I could I took the sail off and straight to the sail makers for repair and or assessment.  Mark Flew’s assessment was that it was irreparable!  So, on the insurance company to see if they would help with the costs. At that stage little did I know the lead times for new sails.  But with the help of Mark a new sail was made, in the Philippines and shipped back to the UK within three weeks.

Ian Forster the carpenter in the year mended the teak toe rail so I thought things were coming along nicely.  That was until I tried to start the engine.  It didn’t sound right so after several attempts I thought I better take a look under the engine cover.  To my horror (not being an engineer) there was sea water coming out the air intake.  Somehow, and I still don’t really know how sea water was forced up the exhaust, round the swan neck and through the water trap into the cylinders.  The engineer tried to fix the problem on the water but was unsuccessful, fearing the worst that I might need a new engine I had the boat lifted out and chocked up so the engineer could work in more civilised surroundings.  It ended up that Luke and John Cutler had to remove the cylinder head to eventually solve the problem.  Once fixed the boat was relaunched. 

We were now in early May.  I had planned to leave on the 28^th April when the tides were right for going east and as it happened we had an unseasonal period of settle weather which would have been ideal.  By the time I was ready and the tides were right again it was the 9^th May.

Organ donation

If you are following this blog or have found it by accident then please consider registering as an organ donor.  Many lives can be enhances and save by donation your organs and eyes after your death. 

If you do register please be sure to take some time to talk to your nearest and dearest so that they know and understand your wishes.

To those who have already registered, thank you!

2016 - Sailing round the UK

Why do it?

That quite a complicated question.  Life’s twists and turns influence how you think and feel about things and life.

The biggest driving force in my life has been medical and they started on day one while being delivered when forceps caught my left eye and damaged the cornea, the clear bit we all look through at the front of our eye

At the age of seventeen I discovered I has end stage renal failure, basically my kidneys had stopped working and I ended up after a short illness on dialysis.  As a young teenager an event like this makes you grow up very quickly and it makes you realise you are mortal.  I imagine many people who never have a day of sickness as they go through life probably only start to think about their own l mortality when a relative or close friend is seriously ill or dies.

In a nut shell I learnt life and more importantly good heal is very important and I was determined to make the most of life despite these early set backs.

At the age of 21 in 1980 I had a successful kidney transplant.  They call it the gift of life and it really is.  In 1998 I had a corneal graft to my left eye which restored my sight and enhanced my life. As a good friend of mine recently posted on Facebook bot these gifts allowed me to sail around the world, gain a master degree, work fully time for 35 years, look after my elderly mother in her last years, and now to sail round the UK.     

Since I have owned my own sailing yacht I have always had a desire to sail around the UK.  As a small gesture I hope to raise awareness of organ donation as I circumnavigate the UK.